LINN
Unidisk SC
DVD Players

Product Description

UNIDISK SC player is a complete pitch accurate high fidelity AV source and control component. Featuring
Linn’s SILVER DISK ENGINE universal disc playing technology, the UNIDISK SC player is designed to facilitate access to all the new high-definition music and movie formats and deliver high-quality multi-channel control and playback.
UNIDISK SC represents a new generation of multi-channel product and is all you need to access and
control music and movies across all quality audio and video formats. Linn’s unique expertise in the field of universal disc playback and experience of integration and control have helped create what is undoubtedly the best value integrated product available today.
The UNIDISK SC player automatically recognises and plays high quality audio and video disc formats, quickly configuring playback. Uniquely amongst universal disc players, the Linn designed SILVER DISK ENGINE identifies source material and outputs signals in their native format for optimised audio performance.
The UNIDISK SC player is designed to be the central component within a multi-channel entertainment system, offering control and decoding for a wide range of external sources. 2 SPDIF inputs and 2 TOSLINK inputs interface to four digital sources, and four additional analogue inputs enable the UNIDISK SC player to decode a total of eight secondary sources.
With both fixed and variable audio outputs the UNIDISK SC player can be connected to a conventional 5-channel pre-amplifier or connected straight into multi-channel amplification. Video switching is also supported allowing the user to link audio and video streams.

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
bigwhiterabbit
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: January 3, 2011

Bottom Line:

While I like the functionality of the stock Unidisc SC, the sound quality, especially when playing red book CDs, leaves something to be desired. Then the Dynamik power suply caught my attention and $700 is a relatively cheap option compared to what you have to pay for Naim's Hi-cap etc. After talking to my dealer I decided to get it done, and man! I can't be happier with the Dynamik! It basically transformed a good disc player to a superb one, everything, I mean everything, improved from the minute I turn it on with the Dynamik, and now I feel I can live with this player for another few years at least. I used to use a tube DAC for redbook CD playback, now I've sold the DAC. I recommend every UniSC owner to try the Dynamik, to me it's a must, and it makes major differences: (1) deeper and clearer bass (2) more body and more presence, which also means more excitement (3) More refined sound, more subtle details, more micro and macro dynamics.

I had a dealer demo of some digital linn streaming devices at the top of the range. As I think with my head as well as my heart I was'nt really impressed. Yes maybe if you really could afford to go that way. I was listening to ripped music on dacmagic though my naim and spendor and had given up on spending on digital to replace my vinyl. A few weeks later I saw the unidisk going very cheep so snapped it up. After a quick test with good results sold my dacmagic and dvd player making the price look even better still. For pure listenabilty the sound is very good, for better than the dacmagic for long listening, also i can fall asleep with it on unlike vinyl. The sound was a little thin but very very good, as i was using this as source only. I then found that I could use kineck mode as source and the sound really filled out and truely wonderfull (why im wriitning the review) As one review stated this is a fun divice. It plays dvd and as for sound options with poeple who might want to play about .. pre/source cd and sacd tv out line level and kineck out . It also works as a very listenable dac for my squeezebox atthough this can be used in kenekt mode so, , as i feel, not as good as sacd and cd for my system. Im sure some poeple will like the output of tv out as different opamps are used, the sound is dryer and more detailed but thinner. Well worth the second-hand value to me, easily.

I got one of these at a very good price on ebay. Iv been streaming music through dacs and was, I would have to admit, very cynical of digital source material. I went to my local hifi dealer and listened to his very expensive linn ds sytem. Now I would'nt say no to owning this sysyem but on my budget I would, if you know what I mean, It did get me looking around though, I found the Unisdisk going for a very good price,
Like the reviews say, this really is a fun gizmo, I stream my squeeze box through it, play discs that I was previously having to rip and it really does make watching dvds more exeiting, not to mention playing about with it as a pre amp, the picture looks great to me but im no expert, sacd also sounds very good with the few I have... more fun. If you think about the price of these new, what you can pick them up for now seems very good value. The sound is very tune heavy if a little bass light. And yes after the dynamics of this have made me interested in digital sources, if not bit rates yet., yes they make a difference but I like my main sound. It is a bit high-end, if not through the preamp so much. Worth thinking about.

Unidisk SC is in a category by itself. There is NO competition, so to compare this to any other reference would be impossible. I am in the commercial recording business (mixing, mastering, post etc...) and have used virtually every kind of recording/playback system on the market. Unidisk is hands-down one of the best playback units I have ever owned. It's "sound quality" is second to none. It is one of the most engaging pieces of equipment I have ever heard. Even compared to my reference cd-r (Studer d-741). It's d/a's are superb and rival my standalone units (apogee, t.c., dcs etc...). The unit lacks expandability and some "modern" features (HDMI/DVI, 6.1/7.1 and certain decoding schemes) but it's output is so musical and pure that I am forced to overlook these pitfalls. I have also had some MAJOR problems with the Unidisk (the first unit I had stopped working less than a week after I brought it home). I like think of the SC as a highly tuned sports car. Quick, nimble, effortless but at the same time finicky and sensitive to user input. If you need a dead reliable "easy to use" piece look elswhere. If uncompromised audio quality is your game you will not be let down. The unidisk is certainly not for everyone (those who have a good pre-amp/processor should look elsewhere) but is a bargain any way you slice it.

The Unidisk SC is an expensive, but satisfying decision. CD audio replay is great and surpasses my previous reference-class T+A set. SACD replay is incredibly "natural" and "right", even with "only" two matched frontspeakers (Linn Akurat 212's). DVD-play and -sound shines, and all "original" modes have great width and depth of soundstage. There's also a number of DSP-modes ("phantom", "3-stereo") that don't add much to well-recorded originals.

Overall sound is somehow always *right*. No distractions, no fuzzy edges. Bad recordings still sound mediocre, good and greate recordings are thrilling. On my previous kit, I sometimes had the urge to use the loudness button. Not here. (It isn't there, so thats a good thing)

The DSP-modes *do* add, however, to less-than-audiofile sources. Yes, I run my Playstation-2 and my Apple airport express also via fiber through the Unidisk SC, and use it as a D/A converter slash preamp. And that's a big part of why I think it is a great piece of equipment: for the first time, I've got a well-designed control unit as the center of my A/V kit. Switching from room-rumbling Colling-Macgrae-Rally to SACD to TV-output is all on the remote. Nice touch: on a well-cabled scart-link, the SC can amp the TV sound and even extract dolby-prologic. No extra cables required, just the scart. Another nice touch: the display brightness dims with ambient lighting.

The remote requires some getting used to, it isn't exactly intuitive. RTFM. Once you get to know it, it works just fine. Glow-in-the-dark keys, too.

Important: make sure the player has had all upgrades. Mine got upgraded two weeks after installation, and after a couple of glitches. The upgrade solved the glitches, and added some features. Including remote on/off. I'm under the impression that Linn rushed this model a bit, and has to postfix some issues. Considering the fun I'm having with this unit and the speedy no-fuss upgrade, they're forgiven.

Upgrades? Lord, yes. I'm quite sure I'd like some more Akurat speakers (center, rear, sub), and another 5125 to drive them. Just got to rob a bank first. :-)

NB: price is in Euro's. I bought the SC and the 5125 5-way amp for 6600 EUR.